Deposits of inorganic or organic composition form a fundamental problem as regards the operation of industrial plants in which fluids, particularly aqueous media, move through pipe systems or are stored (intermediately) in containers.
Water-bearing-systems, such as water and waste water pipings, cooling or heating cycles, cooling lubricant systems, drilling fluids, or industrial process waters for the transport of matter contain a variety of substances (organic, inorganic and/or microbiological) that tend to form deposits in the systems. As a result these deposits adhere as to parts of plants, form sediments and are removed in the form of larger portions, and they result in disturbances in aggregates and production masses.
Such deposits often occur in the form of films. These are formed primarily in aqueous systems at the interface with a solid phase. In case of micro-organisms caused films, they consist of a slimy layer in which micro-organisms (e.g. bacteria, algae, fungi, and protozoa) are embedded. As a rule, these films contain, other than the micro-organisms, primarily water and extra-cellular polymeric substances exuded by the micro-organisms which, in conjunction with the water, form hydro-gels and contain other nutrients or substances. Often, particles are included in the resulting slimy matrix that is found in the aqueous medium adjacent the interface.
The formation of deposits in papermaking plants is problematic, particularly in the components that are used for the accommodation and transfer of an aqueous fiber suspension. The film (also called “fouling”) which forms in such a papermaking plant is also characterized by the fact that it contains a high proportion of fibers, fine substances, and inorganic pigments that are bound by the organic matrix. Such films typically are accompanied by protective exopolysaccharides (“slime”, EPS) of microbiological sources and occur at the interface of these equipment surfaces and process water streams. Additionally, inorganic contaminants, such as calcium carbonate (“scale”) and organic contaminants often deposit on such surfaces. These organic contaminants are typically known as “pitch” (e.g., resins from wood) and “stickies” (e.g., glues, adhesives, tape, and wax particles).
If the layer thickness of the deposit is too great, it might break away from the substrate. The portions thus released might cause faulty operation, particularly tearing of the paper webs during paper manufacture, which leads to high consequential costs. In order to avoid this, deposit control agents are added.
EP-A 562 739 proposes to control slime formation by means of compositions containing glutaraldehyde and 2-(thiocyanomethylthio)-benzothiazole. EP 558 360 A1 proposes to use special disinfectants to fight bacteria strains of the genus Staphylococcus or Acinobacter. 
DE-A 41 36 445 describes the increase of the nitrogen and phosphate content in the aqueous medium in order to influence the growth of microorganisms under decomposition of already existing slimy substances and proposes to use sporadically known microbiocides for this purpose, such as isothiazolones (trade name Kathoon), dibromonitrilopropionamide, or methylene bisisothiocyanate.
To recycle waste paper, EP-A 517 360 describes the use of a mixture consisting of a surfactant and a hydrocarbon, in particular terpene, in order to inhibit tacky impurities in the pulp. Until today, volatile terpenoids are known to have an allelopathic action in plants.
EP-A 731 776 and EP-A 828 889 disclose oil-in-water emulsions as deposit control agents which are formed from a hydrophobic phase, at least one emulsifier and water and which comprise in the hydrophobic phase at least one active ingredient which is selected from the following group of substances used alone or in admixture:    1.) a saturated or unsaturated, open-chain or cyclic, normal or isomeric hydrocarbon having 8-30 carbon atoms;    2.) a saturated or unsaturated fatty alcohol, a saturated or unsaturated fatty acid, a fatty acid monoalkyl ester, a fatty acid amide, or a fatty acid monoalkylamide of a saturated or unsaturated fatty acid, all of the compounds listed under 2.) having 8 to 30 carbon atoms;    3.) a mono- or polyester of a saturated or unsaturated fatty acid with 4 to 30 carbon atoms and monoalcohols and/or polyols, with the exception of polyethylene glycols;    4.) a polyamide of saturated or unsaturated fatty acids having 8 to 30 carbon atoms and aliphatic polyamines having 2 to 6 nitrogen atoms;    5.) an acyclic, preferably monocyclic and/or bicyclic terpene, in particular a terpene hydrocarbon and/or a terpene alcohol; and/or    6.) a polyoxyalkylene compound based on alkylene oxides and C12-C18 fatty alcohols and/or C12-C18 fatty acids and/or fatty acid glycerides of C12-C18 fatty acids.
The deposit control agents of the prior art, however, are not satisfactory in every respect. There is a demand for cleaning compositions that are useful for removing and/or preventing deposits from surfaces of water-bearing systems which have advantages compared to conventional cleaning compositions.